Albertus Magnus Defeats Woodlands, 70-60, to Reach Semifinals

The Albertus Magnus Falcons defeated the Woodlands Falcons 70-60 Wednesday in a Section 1 Class B quarterfinal game at Albertus.

After a high-intensity first half that left Albertus trailing by three, the Falcons came out in the second and took control by crashing the boards, forcing tough shots and turnovers while continuing to convert on the offensive end. 

“I thought rebounding (was the difference),” Albertus head coach Pat McFadden said. “I thought in the second half, it was one shot and done.  We had guys fighting one another to go and get the ball.  We didn’t have a great first half, they shot the ball real well.  I tell you, I have a lot of respect for them, they’re a tough team but we rebounded the basketball and when we did, it got us running and we were able to take care of business.”

McFadden also pointed towards Albertus’ defense as key in taking control in the second half.

“It was the rebounding and obviously they made seven threes in the first half," McFadden said. "We got out on their shooters a little bit better in the second half and that was the key.”

“It was definitely picking up the defensive intensity," Albertus guard Jack Sullivan said. "They were hitting a lot of shots and eventually we had to run back to man to man, get down on them and we just got into them a little bit here and there and that was really the difference.  We were knocking down shots the whole game, just our defense was lacking in the first half and towards the second half, we played really well with a lot of great defense.”

Indeed, Albertus was very strong on the offensive end all night, which Sullivan attributed to one thing: teamwork.

“It was definitely teamwork and we were all moving the ball around and everyone was playing really unselfish and it just opened up a lot of times,” said Sullivan.  “It took a little while for us to get open, but we were open and knocking down shots and it wasn’t just me, it was everybody working hard to get people open.”

Offense generally beat out defense throughout the first half.  As a result, the two teams traded baskets and the lead with Albertus leading 15-13 at the end of the first quarter, and Woodlands leading 34-31 at the end of the second.  At the break, Sullivan led Albertus with 14 points and Justin Smith led Woodlands with 12 points.

At halftime, McFadden discussed two things with his team, which he outlined following the game, saying, “First of all we’re going to defend and then we’re going to go get the darn thing off the glass and that’s exactly what we did and I think that’s what enabled us to take care of business.”

Albertus took control midway through the third with a 9-0 run that put the Falcons up, 45-37.  Woodlands traded baskets with them to end the quarter trailing 51-42.  Tyler Sayre and Pat McGuiness each led Albertus that quarter with six points.  Fred Bowers led Woodlands with five.

Woodlands was able to bring it back within four in the fourth, but was unable to put a stop to Albertus’ impressive scoring ability.  With time winding down, play continued to pick up intensity and get more physical.  Woodlands was then dealt their final blow when two of their starters, guard Samar O’Neil and center Fred Bowers both fouled out within 10 seconds of each other. 

“It feels great,”  Sullivan said.  “It’s really great just to have our team win.  We’re going to the county center and hopefully we can play good there.  It’s really great and hopefully we can enjoy this for the next week.”

Jack Sullivan shot lights out for the night and led his team to victory with 23 points overall.  Sayre and McGuinness each had strong nights as well with 17 and 15 points, respectively.  Woodland’s high scorers were Reece Williams and O’Neil, with 11 and 9 points, respectively.

Despite the loss, Woodlands’ head coach Bob Murphy was pleased with his team’s performance.

“I thought it was a great high school game,” said Murphy.  “I thought we were pretty even.  I thought their advantage at home was really something that figured into the game and I thought there was a point late in the game, where we were probably down by four and we turned it over.  We had a post-up and I thought the kid flopped, which is his job, but that’s where it kind of changed.  I thought both teams played real hard and I’ve got a lot of respect for them, I think they’re a great team and they’ll do well in the sectionals.  They were as good as any team we’ve played and we've played some A’s and we've played some B’s, but they’re solid, so, they’ve got a shot.”

Albertus Magnus (16-4) will play No. 6 seed Irvington (14-6) in the Section semifinals 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY.

“It gives us confidence,” said Sullivan.  “We’ve been playing well lately, we’ve just got to try to keep the legend going and hopefully we can keep it going until next week and play good at the county center.”